Canadian Unlocks Hoverboard Technology

I was disappointed with the last hoverboard headline I read from Hendo. I wanted to see a hoverboard in a real world environment that was being flown by a mad man. Enter Canadian maker Catalin Alexandru Duru, inventor of a hoverboard that set a world record for longest distance traveled on a hoverboard. The clip released recently is from his attempt made almost a year ago on August 24th, 2014.

Duru traveled 275.9 meters (905 feet) across Lake Ouaureu in Quebec on a hoverboard he made himself. The prototype was built over the course of a year and little is known about its design. Speculation is made that it is an adapted quad copter design. I would like to see the power requirements for it.

Duru stated, “I will showcase that stable flight can be achieved with a machine one can stand on and control with their feet.” He went on to say, “The prototype can be used anywhere but is usually tested over water because of how dangerously high it can fly.”

A spokesperson for Guinness World Records spoke about Duru’s flight “This is a truly mesmerizing and incredible feat in the world of engineering and transportation.” He went on to say, “It’s always pleasing to see individuals such as Catalin Alexandru Duru achieve a Guinness World Records titles such as this in which personal endeavor continues to amaze us all.”

His flight across the lake was an improvement over Marty McFly’s model since it did not function over water. Duru flew at a height of 5 meters (16.4 feet) and covered a distance of 275.9 meters (905 feet). This is a vast improvement over hoverboard designs in the past. Many of the earlier designs have used magnets repealing each other to lift the board. The propeller design that Duru uses is a not clear but does have some safety concerns. I hope that this is picked up for commercial development because I would love to see what a team of engineers could do with this prototype.